Well, if the delay was for a good reason, I took a week off and decided to write like a maniac. In short, I wrote 3 chapters of Hunter's story and 2.5 chapters of Devas's story.
I'll post a chapter of Hunter's story tomorrow (July 28), and the next chapter of Devas's story will come out in 2 days (July 29).
(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori
[...]---[...]
POV: Robyn Jheut.
"Five hundred gold coins if you let me drive."
"The answer is no." Same as every other time. "Selina, last time you drove, you got so excited you drove the Humvee into a ditch!"
The car didn't get a scratch, of course, nor did anyone inside, but it took us an hour to get it out since it had landed upside down.
"It won't happen again, I promise. I'll hold back this time."
She wasn't going to give up, was she? Why did I have to be the one stuck with her in the Humvee while everyone else went to the village to buy food, anyway?
Oh right, the sand, how I hated sand... Miserable little things that got everywhere, stuck to the fur on my ears, my tails, everything!
I gently stroked Lili, my fox, who was sleeping in my lap. We both hated sand. Kiki didn't have a strong opinion on it, but given that the owl was flying above the Humvee, I'll assume she preferred the forest.
"Looks like my dad and the others will take a while..." I murmured. My old man was probably drinking with that friend of his; he had mentioned wanting a drink when he got back from WinterHord.
Dylan, Melissa, and Darnell were probably at the market. We were low on some supplies after helping WinterHord. It wasn't anything serious, but I'll buy a few things as soon as we get back to the kingdom.
After a few minutes of Selina pestering and some more chatting, she decided to go study the Humvee's engine... again.
"Gn~"
Here we go...
"I swear, if you moan one more time, I'm going to start the Humvee and run you over!" I yelled at the pervert. She held back whenever the others, namely Dylan, my old man, and Darnell, were around. Well, held back in the 'Selina' way, a minimal filter.
But when it was just me or Melissa, she had no filters, and by no filters, I mean that the last time she studied the Humvee, she moaned and squirmed at every new discovery!
"If you saw what I'm seeing and knew what it is, you'd do the same!" Selina shouted back. "Gn~"
I started the car's engine, the noise didn't scare Selina, but the inches I moved the car pushing her did.
"Alright, alright!" She shouted back, huffing as she closed the hood. "You're worse than Dylan and Melissa sometimes, you know that?"
"And you're a pervert." I slapped her face with my second 'tail' as she stuck her head through the window. Maybe I was being hypocritical, but that wasn't the point.
I still blushed just thinking about how Devas knew about my second 'tail'. That idiot...
"You're blushing." Selina pointed out. "And frowning. Thinking about our great leader and where he disappeared to?"
"Yes."
I didn't deny it. It had been ten days since Devas vanished right in front of me. Damn, I didn't even know he could teleport, why didn't he use it before?
Dylan had said it was some kind of mana-less teleportation, how? How could something work without mana? How could any magic work without mana?
I had questions, and I was worried, very worried...
I moved my second 'tail' away from Selina the moment she threatened to grab it. She had pulled my second 'tail' before, I had to hold back twice then, once to not moan and another to not beat her up.
She never did it again after I threatened her, she also realized it was rude, but that didn't stop her from threatening to pull any of my tails whenever they got near her.
"Did you wake up? You seemed to be daydreaming." Her smile said all I needed to know about her next words. "A wet dream?"
I felt sorry for Dylan and Melissa for having to deal with this creature since childhood...
"I was thinking. Devas seemed worried when he disappeared." I ignored the provocation and explained.
"You and my dear cousin have said that before, Robyn. What's new?" Selina ran her finger along the Humvee's paint as she spoke.
"Aren't you curious? Worried?" Devas had disappeared into thin air, something Dylan, the most knowledgeable person I knew, said wasn't teleportation, didn't involve mana.
And besides, he seemed worried when he disappeared.
"Of course I am. Just because I don't show it doesn't mean I'm not worried." Selina frowned before sighing and leaning on the open window. "I have thousands of questions I want to ask our great leader when he returns, when and not if. Devas said he'd be back in a month, didn't he?"
I nodded. Devas said he'd be back in a month at the latest.
"There you go. If he said he'd be back in a month, he'll be back in a month." Selina's voice was full of confidence. "Of our group, I've known Devas the shortest time, but in that short time, our great leader has always kept his word."
I had no rebuttal; she was right. Even so, I couldn't help but worry. Devas always had that calm air, often serious, sometimes playful, but worried?
I had seen him with that look a few times, and almost always, the concern wasn't about himself. Even when he went to fight that demon deer, he seemed more worried about us than himself.
When he disappeared, it was no different, he didn't seem worried about himself but rather about something else, something or someone. Who or what? That was one of the questions I had.
Devas didn't talk much about his past; in fact, he seemed to avoid the topic. Why? Had something happened before he came to the kingdom?
I realized, after we left WinterHord, in the hours I spent driving, that no one in our group knew much about Devas. Sure, we knew about him, his persona, how he acted, his personality, but not about his past.
Where did he come from? Devas had said he was from a village south of the kingdom, but which one? Where exactly was 'south'? Did he have any living family? Father, mother, sisters, brothers? Any friends? Any lovers?...
Devas was a mystery, I had realized that a bit before, but not as much. It was as if he had come from nowhere, just like he disappeared ten days ago, into nothing.
"I have a lot of questions too..." I murmured, stroking Lili. A lot of questions...
Silence dominated the scene for a few seconds, the only sounds coming from the rustling leaves of the trees around us and the waves on the distant beach. That is, of course, until Selina opened her mouth again.
"You're so cute when you're worried." She poked my cheek with her finger; I slapped her hand away. "It's like watching a wife worried about her husband on a mission."
I took a deep breath and ignored the warmth I felt in my face. If there was one thing I had learned since meeting Selina, it was that giving in to any of her provocations was suicide.
"Didn't Devas refuse your marriage proposal before?" I gave her my best feline smile. "Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?~"
I could see her eyebrow twitch for a moment before she shrugged and smiled.
"Nah, I'm happy being the mistress, less work, more fun." She tilted her head to the side and rested it on her hand. "I hope you don't mind if I steal Devas for a bit on the wedding night~"
I underestimated her, I admit.
"I don't think you could steal him, after all..." I lifted Lili from my lap and stepped out of the Humvee. "Why would he go with you when he has me?~"
I ran my hands down my sides and moved my two tails to form a heart behind me. I'll admit, coordinating the second tail would have been tricky if I didn't have years of practice.
Selina looked me up and down before stepping forward. She was a few centimeters taller than me, so I had to tilt my face up to meet her gaze.
"Looks like I underestimated you, kitty. Do you really think you'd win against me?" She tilted her head to the side.
"Looks like I overestimated you, pervy, since you clearly can't tell a cat from a fox." I narrowed my eyes. "I'm sure I'd win."
We held that stare-off for a few seconds before Selina was the first to break and start laughing. I didn't last much longer and burst out laughing too.
"Where were you during my teenage years? Melissa, you, and I would have made quite the trio. I'm sure we would have caused all sorts of trouble for the kingdom." Selina wiped a tear from her eye.
"It wouldn't have worked; I'd probably have smothered you in your sleep." I considered her a friend, but Selina was best in small doses.
"I'm sure you would have, I think Melissa tried once. We were both very drunk that day... Good times." I shuddered at her words.
I really felt sorry for the Oakwood siblings.
"But, seriously now, that talk about me being Devas' mistress might become reality." Selina said with a serious face and pointed over her shoulder at the Humvee. "I don't think just money will buy the knowledge that thing has; I'll need to sell myself to make the deal even remotely fair."
Wait, what?
"Against my better judgment, I'll take you seriously." I looked at Selina's serious face and sighed. "Explain."
I reconsidered and added, "Explain in a way I can understand. No scientific jargon."
I knew my limits: biology, fauna, and even flora were my domains, but technology and mechanics? Not so much.
Selina thought for a few seconds before starting to speak.
"Simply put: the Humvee's technology alone is something at least fifty, maybe a hundred years ahead of Terraria's current technology." She said in a serious tone.
That... was a lot. Especially coming from Selina, the daughter and heir of the Steamhord family, the pioneers of all technology in the kingdom.
"I think there's a 'but' coming..." I commented.
"There is. The 'but' is that the Humvee's engine, or part of it, is far beyond that." Selina had a hungry gleam in her eyes. "The A.R.C. reactor is something I can't even estimate how far ahead it is of our current technology. Three hundred years? Four hundred? Five hundred? Maybe even more."
I looked at the Humvee. A technology five hundred years ahead of our time? How many more secrets did Devas have?...
But wait...
"A.R.C. reactor? How do you know that name?" Hadn't she said it was something way ahead of our time? How did she know what it was?
Selina didn't answer me verbally and motioned for me to follow her to the front of the Humvee, where she reopened the car's hood and pointed to something in the engine's center, protected by everything else like a kind of core.
It was a small piece, barely visible, covered by everything else, glowing a cool light blue. I understood as soon as I saw the thing how Selina knew the name.
It was literally written on the thing: Reactor A.R.C. (MK3).
Not just in one language, either. It was written in Terrarian, the language I could read, but also in two others I had no clue about. I only knew it was the same thing because of the acronym: A.R.C.
Or at least I thought it was the same thing.
The only different phrase was the fourth and last one, which didn't have the A.R.C. acronym.
"I don't recognize those languages either, before you ask." Selina spoke almost reading my mind. "I asked Dylan, and he didn't recognize any of the other two languages either."
If Dylan, of all people, didn't recognize any language there, it was serious...
"Our great leader is quite the mystery, isn't he?..." Selina laughed. "Twenty days until he returns, so I'm going to milk all the answers I want out of him..."
"Word choice, woman..." I was sure she had said it that way on purpose. Her smile said it all.
"But you know... If what you say is true." And it probably was. Selina, despite being Selina, knew what she was doing. "What's stopping you from studying the Humvee's technology and passing everything you learned to your family before Devas returns? By then, he won't be able to do anything."
The Steamhord were a ducal family, allied with another ducal family, the Oakwoods. These two families were some of the most powerful in the kingdom, if not the most powerful, not to mention they were very close to the crown too.
"Not that I think you would do that, of course." I added before I could sound rude. Selina didn't seem like that kind of person to me, much less Dylan who surely wouldn't let her do that.
He and Devas were very close. Dylan wouldn't let his friend be robbed like that, even if it was by someone he considered family.
"Of course I wouldn't. I have my honor, if necessary, I'll buy the knowledge from Devas." Selina puffed out her chest. "Of course, after that, I'll recreate it myself. If someone did it before, I can do it too and even improve it!"
"Pride comes right before the fall." I pointed out.
"I'll create something to keep me afloat then. Something better than wings." She continued without missing a beat. "But... Even if I didn't have my honor, even if I didn't consider Devas an ally, a friend... I still wouldn't steal from him."
Selina's voice had a serious tone, one she used rarely when she was saying something extremely important. I had heard her use this tone about three times since I met her.
"Of all people, that man, Devas... is not someone I want as an enemy, either for me or my family." Selina closed the Humvee's hood.
"I can't disagree with you there..." Was my response.
When we left WinterHord, the city still needed the barrier to protect itself from the cold, even after that deer's death. It was still too cold for things to function normally.
But when the storm was at its peak? How cold was it? I didn't even want to imagine.
Devas fought that thing in those conditions, no... Devas killed that thing in those conditions and didn't even seem injured, in fact, he didn't even seem tired.
No matter how strong Selina's family was or how influential and wealthy they were, making someone like him an enemy for knowledge that could be bought was more than idiotic. Especially since Devas was, in every sense of the word, an ally.
We spent the next few minutes chatting until the rest of the group returned.
"You know, I was sure I'd have to drag your drunk body back to the Humvee myself." I commented to my old man. He had a slight smell of alcohol, but that was it.
"I said I'd drink casually, don't you trust your old man?" I raised an eyebrow. "My heart aches at that, you know?" I raised the other eyebrow.
"What were you guys doing?" Dylan stepped forward carrying a bag. "Here, your food and Selina's."
I quickly grabbed my fish skewers before tossing the rest of the food to Selina.
"Selina was telling me how she wants to prostitute herself to Devas in exchange for knowledge. I think she needs medical help." I pointed at the woman.
"I'm a guide and contractor, medicine is my sister's domain." Dylan nudged Melissa's shoulder with his hand. "Go on and do your job, forget I exist."
He was quick to throw Melissa to the wolves.
"I'm hurt, small leader, you wouldn't even try to help me?" Selina placed a hand on her chest as if in pain.
Dylan didn't flinch at the nickname 'small leader,' already used to it. Since Devas had passed the group's leadership to him, Selina had been calling him that.
Dylan was the small leader, Devas was the great leader. I won't lie, it was funny as hell.
"I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker. Leave Selina as she is to avoid making things worse." Melissa wasted no time getting into the Humvee and vigorously ignoring the subject.
After everyone took their seats, Dylan started driving; it was his turn, the last few hours had been mine. Even with the enchantments on the Humvee's seats, my butt was sore from sitting so long, so I lay down on the Humvee's back seat alone.
Selina had taken the passenger seat while my old man, Melissa, and Darnell were on the second row of seats.
"And the earring, Dad?" I pointed to his ear, where the fish earring was. "I thought you were going to return it."
"I was, but that limp-dick Simon decided it was better for me to keep it for a while longer." My dad explained with a laugh before getting serious.
"Speaking of which, Simon asked me to look for a house for him in the kingdom. I'll look later, but if you have any recommendations, I'd appreciate it."
"Hmm? Why out of nowhere?" I asked. Everyone was paying attention to the conversation.
"Things have been getting weird lately. Simon told me the sea is more restless than usual and that his son, Gallius, received some bad news. He doesn't think it's safe to live outside the kingdom's walls anymore, and he's thinking of moving."
"What news?" Dylan asked from the driver's seat. "Nothing good, I imagine. What's the level of danger on the horizon?"
"Are you worried about that thing in the kingdom?" My dad asked rhetorically, scratching his chin. "You said before that Devas told us to prepare, didn't you?..."
"He told us to protect ourselves." Dylan replied. "Whatever's coming, Devas expected it to be bad, very bad."
"So, does our great leader have good instincts or not?" Selina asked next. "What are the bad news?"
"Simon's son is a traveling merchant. On his recent trips, he said he's seen some strange things." My dad explained. "It's odd..."
"Odd how?" Melissa asked. "Odd for normal people or odd for contractors?"
"Odd as in contractor problems, and the kind of problem that gives headaches for weeks." My dad had a complicated expression. "From what Simon told me, entire cattle farms changed overnight. Whether it was the farmers or the animals, they just... disappeared."
"Disappeared?..." I heard Dylan murmur. "Something like Jille, but instead of using that disgusting matrix in the village, they kidnapped the people and the animals?"
"Maybe... I thought of that too, but I don't think so." My dad sighed. "From what Simon's son explained, there were no signs of struggle anywhere. Just red footprints walking into the forest and disappearing among the trees."
"With red footprints, I'd imagine it was blood." Darnell commented. "And your friend's son says there was no fight? Are you sure he didn't see it wrong?"
My dad shook his head.
"Simon told his son to watch out for anything strange and take care, be cautious with everything. If there's one thing I trust, it's the information a merchant gathers when he's paying attention to things." My dad explained.
"The guy could still be wrong." I pointed out. My dad didn't deny it. "Let's consider both scenarios-"
I fell silent as the sound of thunder engulfed the environment. Then, the sound of raindrops hitting the Humvee's roof before Dylan activated one of the Humvee's matrices, leaving everything silent again.
"The rain came out of nowhere." Darnell murmured.
"Coastal rain, comes quickly and goes quickly." My dad explained before looking out the window and frowning. "But given those clouds, this must be a storm..."
I stood up and looked out the window. The sky was black, covered with dark clouds stretching far. "It doesn't look like this will end quickly..." I murmured.
No one disagreed.
"The sea is restless... Simon warned me, but it seems things are worse than he described." My dad commented.
The waves on the sea, which I could occasionally see thanks to the lightning, were not small. The sea was turbulent, agitated, and in my opinion, it looked almost like a hungry animal.
I tapped the matrix next to the window twice, darkening the glass.
"Turn on the heater, Dylan. I've been through enough cold in WinterHord; I don't want to feel it here." Not a second later, the car's interior was already starting to warm up. It seemed I wasn't the only one who disliked the situation.
"The footprints you mentioned, were they from people or animals?" Melissa asked. "Actually, how much blood was at the scene?"
"A lot of blood, from what I was told. Enough to make the footprints of everyone there turn red, whether they were from the animals or the farmers." My dad frowned. "Everyone who existed there walked into the forest; the footprints were from everyone."
"Apparently of their own free will?" Dylan asked in an irritated voice.
"Apparently of their own free will." My dad confirmed, also irritated.
"It's Jille again... isn't it? Damn..." Dylan muttered through clenched teeth before calming down. "Were the crops touched?"
"No, no crops." My dad shook his head. "The only affected farms were the most isolated ones, far from everyone's eyes."
"Wait a minute." Selina interrupted the conversation. "If it's like Jille, why the blood? If people were being controlled, why so much blood on the ground to create thousands of footprints?"
"That's a good question..." Dylan murmured. "If it's not like Jille, then what is it? Some kind of curse?..."
"Aren't curses like, really rare?" I asked. Apart from mine, I had never heard of any other curses in my life.
"They are rare, but given recent events, I don't doubt anything anymore." Dylan explained. "In the forest where the footprints led, was there anything there?"
My dad shook his head.
"No, there was nothing..."
"And why do you say that like it's a problem?" Selina asked, turning and leaning over to look back.
"Because I mean exactly that. There was nothing, literally nothing." My dad closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "In Simon's son's words: 'The only sound was the wind rustling the leaves. There were no animals in that forest, no insects, nothing. The forest was silent, with the ground covered in bloody footprints.'"
The chill that ran down my spine made the warm interior of the Humvee feel icy cold.
"Damn..." Dylan cursed. "A plague, maybe? A contagious disease?"
"At this point, I wouldn't doubt it." Melissa bit her thumbnail. "Shit, I'll need to review some old books. We also need to inform mom and reinforce the entry and exit points of the kingdom."
"Could it be something in the region's water?" I asked. "It's either that or the air, but given that your friend's son is fine, water is the better option."
"Gallius thought that too." My dad nodded. "Simon said that the first thing his son did was avoid drinking the water and check if there was something wrong with it."
"Let me guess, there was." Selina said dryly.
"There was, but it's not what you think. It was a dead body of one of the farmers." My dad hesitated before continuing. "From what Simon's son discovered, this farmer had disappeared the night before, so he should have been dead for at most a day..."
"What did his body look like?" Melissa asked. "What were the injuries? What caused the death?"
My dad frowned and remained silent.
"Rotten, the body looked rotten, the skin was greenish, the flesh already in a state of decomposition. It was as if that farmer had been dead for weeks." My dad closed his eyes. He had been doing that a lot during this conversation for some reason.
"Dad, why is that?" I pointed to his eyes. "Why the habit?"
He hesitated to answer, but he did anyway.
"Just to make sure my eyes are still here."
I felt a chill run down my spine again, more horrible than before.
"What's the cause of death, Gilbert?" Melissa asked again. This time, my dad didn't hesitate.
"The cause of death, from what Simon's son could tell, was ocular implosion. In his words: 'It was as if the man's eyes had simply been forced out of their sockets.'"
"Don't tell me... The amount of blood..." No...
"That's what I thought too. All those people and animals, all that blood, was because they all had their eyes ripped out of their skulls."
I felt another chill run through my body. Everything felt cold, and worse, the feeling that there was a presence watching me was horrible.
I only calmed down after a light powder permeated the air inside the Humvee.
"I activated the Purification Powder matrix and the defense matrices." Dylan said in a calm voice. "We're shielded, the Humvee is fully defended. Don't worry. We'll return to the kingdom safely and resolve things there calmly."
"The Mana Stones. This will just waste them." Melissa pointed out more as an observation than a complaint.
"The reservoir is full and, if it starts to deplete, I'll replenish it. We have enough to reach the kingdom with the defenses on all the way. Better safe than sorry."
"Any more bad news or are we done here?" Darnell asked. "I'm tired of nightmares, to be honest."
"Me too... Damn deer..." Melissa muttered. "Even without the hallucinations, that thing still appears in my nightmares from time to time."
"Gilbert, Robyn. Your house, how well
protected is it?" Dylan asked out of the blue.
"It's good, I had it upgraded after Jille. Why?" My dad replied.
"What do you think about staying at my family's house these days?" Dylan offered. "It's safer, with layers of protections."
"And you didn't even ask me?" Melissa jumped into the conversation. "Rude, you know? And what about Mom?"
"I'm sure Mom will be fine with it, especially after hearing what we discovered and the recent events. As for you, you just heard how things are going from bad to worse." Dylan spoke in a dry tone. "Better to gather everyone we trust in one place."
"Living at the Duchess of Symbols' house? That's not something I ever thought would happen to me, to be honest." My dad laughed before looking at me. "I'll accept that offer if possible, Oakwood boy."
"And our great leader?" Selina asked. "Where will he live? Actually, where does he live?"
That's true, did Devas have a house in the kingdom?
"Devas lives in an inn near the kingdom's entrance." Dylan explained. "Living is a strong word; he sleeps there and that's it."
Shock was the shared emotion among everyone.
"That guy... lives in an inn?" Melissa said, incredulous.
"Sleeps in one, yes." Dylan replied.
"Why doesn't anything involving that guy make sense?"
"Devas is Devas. That's something I quickly learned living with him." Dylan laughed, the atmosphere had lightened. "But I'll fix his lack of housing when we get back to the kingdom."
"Are you going to buy him a house?" Melissa sang. "Frankly, it's a weak reward compared to what he's done. I'll talk to Mom and Charlotte about it too."
Dylan shook his head.
"I have something in mind. Devas spends a lot of time in a clearing outside the kingdom, I'll get the land for him legally."
"Wasn't he practically the owner of that place already?" I asked. Whenever a meeting happened, it was in that clearing.
"Not on paper. Any noble who bought that land could expel Devas from there at any moment." Dylan laughed, "And let's be honest, that would end badly."
Bad for the noble, everyone knew that and laughed.
As the conversation shifted to a more cheerful and friendly tone, the atmosphere became lighter and warmer. It didn't take long for almost everyone to fall asleep, leaving only Dylan and me awake.
"Are we driving all night in shifts or sleeping?" I asked with a yawn.
"Sleeping, I'm just looking for a place to park. I'll leave the Humvee's defenses on all night and place some of my own outside as well." Dylan explained.
After parking the Humvee among some trees, Dylan opened the door and went outside. I watched alertly with Lili and Kiki keeping an eye on the surroundings as Dylan set up several Mystic Symbols around the Humvee and some on the trees, tied with ropes.
"All set." He said upon re-entering the Humvee and reactivating all the defenses, making all the windows dark. "With this, we're camouflaged and shielded."
"Great." I sighed. "Good night, Dylan."
"Night." Was his only response.
I threw myself onto the last seat of the Humvee next to Selina. Dylan would sleep in the reclined driver's seat, just like my dad in the passenger seat.
As for Melissa and Darnell, they slept in the back seat, while Selina and I slept in the last seat with Kiki and Lili. It wasn't the best arrangement, but it was good enough.
It didn't take me more than ten seconds to fall asleep after throwing a blanket over Selina, Kiki, Lili, and myself. The interior of the Humvee was warm and cozy.
"Good night, Devas." It was a habit I had acquired. Our leader always made a point to wish everyone good night when he was here, so I'd wish him good night, even with him far away.
Moments later, I had already fallen asleep, a night free of nightmares, calm and filled with pleasant dreams.
[...]---[...]
About the chapter, a tip from me: There are many small hints in this chapter about various things. Comment on the ones you can find. It's about the next arc, one of those I enjoyed thinking about the most and I think it's going to be the best.
Well, that's all for now. There should be one or two more 'Terraria News!' in the future before Devas returns to the world.
As always, have a good night and enjoy the reading!
PS: Share some theories or your thoughts about the story. I'd love to see what my audience thinks. Of course, if possible.
PSS: It's curious how without Devas, the atmosphere of Terraria becomes more... Dark, isn't it? The air feels heavy, and the environment becomes tense.